


Strike

by parseltonquinq



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: High School AU, M/M, albus and james are brilliant soccer players, albus is adorable, albus is ridiculous, and a bit of a stalker, james is impossible to dislike, scorpius can't deal with it, so is scorpius
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-21 22:22:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7407427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parseltonquinq/pseuds/parseltonquinq
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Scorpius’s attention almost instantly turned to the boy leaning against the hood of James’s car, fiddling with something indiscernible. It was obvious who he was, though Blaze and Tim’s descriptions didn’t do him justice.</p>
<p>He had the same facial structure as James, but he was leaner and sharper. James was the type of boy who caught you when you fell, whereas his brother looked as if he was the one who pushed you in the first place. Albus had black hair even messier than his brother’s and his freckles dusted his skin—whereas James’s were bold, his looked like an afterthought; they were barely visible. Even from several feet away, Scorpius could see Albus’s vivd green eyes as they rose to meet his, as if sensing the weight of his stare. A smirk curled his lips and he shot Scorpius a wink.</p>
<p>Just as his teammates had said: a wildcard."</p>
<p>Scorpius and Albus play for rival soccer teams. Despite this, they can’t help but be drawn toward one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strike

“Now that you’re on the team, we need to go over Lakeview’s team,” Blaze said, pushing his soda away and steepling his hands beneath his chin.

“They’ve got the _Potters_ ,” Tim said. “They’d be nothing without them.”

“It’s because their parents were pro soccer players,” Victor chimed in. “I heard their dad was the youngest striker on the national team in years.”

“The Potters,” Blaze explained, “are Lakeview’s star players. James and Albus. We call them the heart and the wildcard. James is a senior and Albus is a junior.”

“Are they really that good?” Scorpius wondered, unconvinced. “It’s not like an entire team can just rely on two players.” It seemed unlikely that there were two _high school_ boys who were talented enough to carry the team to championship every year—it was unheard of.

“Oh, but they do,” Tim said darkly. “James is their goalkeeper and Albus is a striker. He’s their top scorer.”

“James rarely lets anything through,” Gordon added. “It’s ridiculous.”

Scorpius raised his brow. “We’re all good players, though—I’m sure we can beat them. Especially if the rest of the team is only average.”

Blaze shook his head. “You don’t understand. As much as this pains me to say, James and Albus are good. _Really_ good.”

“Like, national team good,” Tim said.

“College scouts have been coming to watch James’s games since he was a sophomore. Then they saw Albus play and they had their eyes on both of them. James already has a full ride to Duke and Albus can practically choose whichever school he wants as long as he joins their team.” Blaze scowled.

“We’re gonna really have to step up our game this year if we want nationals. We’ve got a better chance with you on our team, but there are no guarantees,” Blaze said.

“We’ll drive to Lakeview tomorrow—they’ll probably be having practice after school. I can point out James and Albus,” Tim offered.

“All right,” Scorpius agreed.

* * *

By the time they got to Lakeview, practice was almost over. Tim and Scorpius watched the practice from Tim’s car. Despite them only doing simple drills and some conditioning, it was obvious to Scorpius that the two boys Tim pointed out as the Potters were at home on the field. They dribbled like it was what they were born to do and handled the ball so gracefully it looked almost like a vicious sort of dance.

Once the team went to the locker room to shower, Tim spoke.

“Now do you see what we’re talking about? You only see that kind of playing and footwork at the olympics or in the pros.”

Scorpius gulped down any misgivings he had. “We can do it—it’s only two guys. Sure, they’re naturals, but if we work hard enough…”

Tim chuckled. “I wish the other guys had the same optimism as you.”

Scorpius didn’t pay much attention to their conversation from there, but looked up occasionally to see players slowly starting to file out of the locker room. He watched as they either hung around the bleachers, waiting for their friends, or walked toward the parking lot.

He turned his attention back to his phone, wondering what Tim was waiting for. The other boy was humming to his Spotify playlist and drumming his fingers against the roof of the car.

“Here, you can get a closer look at them,” Tim nodded toward the old BMW in the stall across from them. Two boys were near it, one sliding into the front seat and the other pausing to lean on the hood.

James Potter was just as Blaze had described him: all messy auburn hair, freckles dotted over tanned skin, and wide grins. He looked positively heroic in a boy-next-door sort of way and Scorpius wondered if there was a single person on earth who genuinely disliked him—it seemed doubtful. He was grinning at something Albus had said as he climbed into the front seat.

Scorpius’s attention almost instantly turned to the boy leaning against the hood of James’s car, fiddling with something indiscernible. It was obvious who he was, though Blaze and Tim’s descriptions didn’t do him justice.

He had the same facial structure as James, but he was leaner and sharper. James was the type of boy who caught you when you fell, whereas his brother looked as if he was the one who pushed you in the first place. Albus had black hair even messier than his brother’s and his freckles dusted his skin—whereas James’s were bold, his looked like an afterthought; they were barely visible. Even from several feet away, Scorpius could see Albus’s vivd green eyes as they rose to meet his, as if sensing the weight of his stare. A smirk curled his lips and he shot Scorpius a wink.

Just as his teammates had said: a wildcard.

“Did he just wink at you?” Tim asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

Scorpius’s jaw threatened to drop as Albus maintained their gaze for a few moments longer before slipping whatever he was fiddling with into his pocket. His smirk widened as he pushed himself off the hood of the car, then made his way to the passenger seat. He said something to James, who immediately looked up and made eye contact with Tim. James nodded in greeting before starting the engine.

“Interesting,” was all Tim said before pulling out of the parking lot.

* * *

Scorpius couldn’t believe he was actually studying on a Saturday afternoon. The public library was a few blocks away from his house and had free wifi, so that was where he found himself. He was halfway through his analytical paper on _The Great Gatsby_ when a large hand practically shoved him out of his chair.

“What the hell-”

“Shut up,” Albus hissed, crawling beneath Scorpius’s desk cubicle. “Sit back down and push yourself in.”

Not sure why he was even listening, Scorpius did just that, though had trouble figuring out where to put his legs—Albus was currently taking up all the room.

“Would you move-”

Warm, sure hands curled around Scorpius’s ankles and spread his legs apart, placing them on either side of the other boy’s folded body. “There. Comfy now?”

Scorpius scowled. He didn’t bother telling Albus that it actually was rather comfortable. Albus was like a heater in that he chased away the biting chill of the library’s air conditioner. “What are you even _doing?_ ” Scorpius asked, nudging Albus with his foot. After a moment of contemplation, he frowned. “What am _I_ doing?”

“You’re helping me hide from a lunatic,” Albus said very matter-of-factly.

Scorpius ducked his head and mumbled so he didn’t look like he was talking to himself. “And why should _I_ help _you?_ You’re my rival.”

“Because you’re a decent human being and you have your fair share of psycho exes so you can sympathize.”

He frowned. “Um, no I don’t.”

Albus sighed. “Well, you have your fair share of _exes_ so you can understand why I might want to hide from one.”

“Nope.”

Albus went quiet for a moment. “You don’t have _any_ exes?”

“I don’t have time for dating.”

“You’re kidding.” When Scorpius didn’t reply, Albus shoved his leg. “Tell me you’re kidding. You’re way too hot not to have at least _one_ ex. How have you gotten to your junior year of high school without a single relationship?”

“That _hurt._ ” Scorpius reached down to massage his leg, doing his best not to blush at the fact that Albus had just called him hot.

“Please tell me you’ve at least had sex—you’re a sixteen-year-old boy and you have needs-”

“This is not a conversation I’m having with you,” Scorpius interrupted, feeling a flush crawl up his neck.

“Oh my god you haven’t.”

“I have better things to do than-”

“Trust me, no you do not,” Albus said firmly.

“It’s not like I’m _opposed_ to it, it’s just that- _wait, no, why_ am I even having this _conversation_ with you? I don’t even _know_ you!”

“I mean, you can get to know me.” Albus said, as if it were the only thing in the world that made sense. It made Scorpius’s pulse accelerate.

“Ha ha, very funny.” Scorpius cleared his throat. “Your lunatic of an ex ought to be gone by now.”

“How do you know?”

“What does she look like?” Scorpius scanned the library.

“She has blonde hair and a pink dress.” Albus added, “I have a thing for blondes.”

“Good for you.” Scorpius leaned and craned his neck to get a full view of the room. “I don’t see her. You can leave now.”

“Sweet.” Albus shoved at Scorpius’s feet and pushed Scorpius’s chair out before gracefully unfolding himself from beneath the desk. His hair was rumpled and he needed to pull up his jeans. He dusted himself off, then ran his fingers through his hair. Finally, he looked at Scorpius. “Nice talking to you…?”

“Scorpius,” he filled in the blank.

A slow grin spread across Albus’s face. “A guy with a name almost as bad as mine. I’m Albus—you can call me Al.” He straightened his hoodie, then looked Scorpius up and down before meeting his gaze. “I like you, Scorpius.”

With that, he walked out of the library.

* * *

Scorpius was running through a few drills and was getting into a solid rhythm when Blaze ended practice abruptly. He asked him about it as they were leaving the locker room, but all Blaze did was nod his head toward the parking lot. Scorpius’s eyes widened.

Leaning against a familiar BMW was Albus Potter. And he was looking right at him.

“Asshole’s got nerve wearing that Lakeview sweatshirt here,” Blaze mumbled, glaring at the dark-haired boy.

Curiosity got the better of Scorpius and he walked over to Albus. He was aware of Blaze’s presence right behind him. Albus let the corner of his mouth quirk up as Scorpius neared and raised up his fore and middle fingers in greeting.

“Thought I might find you here,” he said.

“What do you want?” Blaze asked, not rudely.

“Your friend here,” Albus nodded toward Scorpius. When Blaze’s stone frown didn’t budge, Albus only grinned. “I’m not gonna hurt him—he’s safe with me.”

“Doubt that,” Blaze muttered, but walked toward his car nonetheless.

That left Scorpius standing alone with Albus.

“So what do you really want?” Scorpius wondered.

“I already answered that,” Albus said, pushing himself off the hood of the car. “Hungry?”

Scorpius blinked. “What?”

“Looked like an exhausting practice. Are you hungry?” He raised his brows. “I could use a burger myself.”

“I guess,” Scorpius said slowly.

“Hop in, then.” Albus gestured toward the car, then slid into the front seat. Scorpius had no choice but to climb in.

“Why are you doing this?”

“An apology for our less-than-ideal introduction,” Albus pulled out of the parking lot. “Also, I heard you’re new in town and thought I’d take you to the best burger joint around.”

“Where did you hear that from?”

“I asked around about the blond guy from Southview with killer gray eyes.” Albus fiddled with the radio. “Turns out my cousins live across the street from you.”

“Small town,” Scorpius murmured.

“You have no idea.” Albus hummed a bit to the song that was playing. “Hey, do people actually call you Scorpius or do they shorten it?”

“They actually call me Scorpius.”

Albus made a small noise somewhere between disbelief and discontent. “Yikes.” After a bit, he asked, “do you mind if I call you Scor? I can’t imagine having to say all three syllables each time. It doesn’t fit you.”

Scorpius didn’t understand Albus’s logic, but he nodded nonetheless. “Sure.” He furrowed his brow. “Er, I mean, I don’t mind.”

Albus laughed. “Sweet.”

* * *

A week later, Scorpius was cornered as he was tugging on his shirt in the locker room. He raised an eyebrow questioningly at Tim.

“Why is Albus Potter in the parking lot again?”

“ _What?_ ”

“Blaze said you guys hung out last week Tuesday after practice. None of us talk to him, so I figured you were the most likely suspect.”

“I’m not _asking_ him to wait for me or even to come and hang out with me if that’s what you’re wondering.” Scorpius frowned. “I’ll see what he wants.”

He shoved his uniform in the hamper, then practically jogged out of the locker room. There, just as he had been a week previous, was Albus Potter leaning against the hood of his car, rumpling his hair. As Scorpius approached him, green eyes rose to meet his and Albus smiled.

“Thirsty?”

“You’ve got to stop showing up here,” Scorpius said, sliding into the passenger seat. Albus grinned widely before getting into the car.

“I don’t know where else to find you and I don’t know what other days you practice.”

“Where’s your phone?” Albus unlocked it, then passed it to Scorpius, who added his contact. “There. Now you know how to find me and my teammates won’t give me crap for you showing up on campus.”

“You want my digits too?” Albus wiggled his eyebrows and Scorpius couldn’t help the small smile that slid onto his face.

Nonetheless, Scorpius added Albus’s number to his phone. After a brief moment on contemplation, he put the devil emoji beside Albus’s name.

“So, where are we going this time?” Scorpius wondered.

“ _Lola’s_. They’ve got the best milkshakes.”

Scorpius laughed softly to himself. “How in the world do you stay in shape? Whenever we eat we go to some sort of fast food joint.”

“I happen to like my junk food. I enjoy the simple pleasures in life.”

“Is your master plan to get me so out of shape Southview has no hope of winning nationals?”

“We established this last time—no talking about schools. We can pretend we go to the same school and cause trouble during lunch and pass notes to each other during class and that there’s no rivalry.”

“Does ignoring problems usually work out for you?” Scorpius wondered, a wry smile on his lips.

Albus grinned. “Usually, yes.”

Once they were seated and served inside _Lola’s,_ Scorpius allowed himself small glances at Albus. It was a bit difficult _not_ to look at him, considering how attractive he was. Scorpius couldn’t tell what it was about Albus that made him so appealing because separately, his features were odd—his eyes were large and narrow and seemed unnaturally vibrant, his nose was upturned and had a small bump in it, his mouth was slightly chapped and on the larger side—but altogether they worked. They worked _well_.

“Pictures last longer, you know,” Albus said.

Scorpius’s eyes widened. “What?”

Albus only grinned. “Don’t worry, I was staring too.”

* * *

Scorpius’s phone buzzed just as he was starting to fall asleep.

‘ _my 1st game is friday. will u come?_ ’

He felt his chest heat up as he realized it was Albus. Before he could type back a reply, his phone buzzed again.

‘ _afterparty’s at my place. at least come to that?_ ’

He smiled—Albus wanted him there. He quickly replied.

‘ _I’ll be at both._ ’

His phone instantly buzzed.

‘ _:)_ ’

He didn’t know what he was doing. He didn’t even really know what he and Albus were. I mean, obviously they were friends, but Scorpius could sense the undertone of something more brewing beneath the surface. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted it to emerge or not. He worried it would only complicate things.

* * *

Scorpius sat with Tim, Blaze, and Victor at the top of the bleachers. His eyes were fixed on Albus and as the game progressed, he began to get more and more worried about the potential victory he had previously been so optimistic about. Albus was clearly one of the best players on the field, only rivaled by James, who hadn’t let a single shot in despite it being the fourth quarter.

Albus looked like he was in the midst of battle as he dribbled down the field and he moved so quickly that by the time he’d passed on or received the ball, by the time it registered, he was halfway down the field or already leaning to shoot and, much more often than not, score.

He watched as a boy with frizzy red hair kicked the ball toward the goal. It was off course. Albus seemed to realize this too, as he was shooting forward and, at the last moment, leapt into the air to head the ball into the goal. It barely slipped past the goalkeeper’s fingers and the Lakeview side of the bleachers erupted into cheers.

“Fuck,” Victor muttered.

Scorpius couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment. Despite his pride for Albus, he wasn’t looking forward to eventually playing against him. Scorpius knew he was a good player—he was one of the best on the team—but he wasn’t as good as Albus. Albus’s talent was natural, whereas Scorpius’s had been honed.

As soon as the game was over and the players were either showering or heading back to their home school, Scorpius made his way down to the parking lot with Victor, Blaze, and Tim. The three other boys left while he waited for Albus.

He didn’t have to wait for long. Several minutes after arriving at Albus’s car, the scent of soap and Old Spice hit his nostrils and he glanced up at a grinning Albus.

“Congratulations.”

“Why thank you,” Albus unlocked the car. “It calls for celebration.”

Scorpius cleared his throat. “I’ve never been to a party before.”

Albus grinned. “We’ll make this memorable, then.” As they left the school, Albus cast him a sideways glance. “Have you at least drank before?”

“Oh, yeah,” Scorpius nodded. “I’ve only ever done that with a few friends, though.”

“This party shouldn’t be too big. It’s mainly just the team and maybe some of their friends and dates.” Albus skipped the song that came up on his phone. “I’m not sure who James invited, but he never really invites a bunch of people.”

Scorpius nodded. He was a bit worried about being around so many new people.

As if reading his mind, Albus nudged his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I won’t ditch you or leave you alone with strangers. I’d like to see you try getting away from me.”

Scorpius released a relieved laugh. “Thanks.”

Albus’s house was two storeys and looked like the typical suburban family home. They had a yard with a tree and swing in front and a white picket fence. Scorpius could already hear music coming from inside.

“Where are your parents?”

“London—their anniversary’s this weekend so James, Lily, and I’ve got the house to ourselves.”

Scorpius assumed Lily was Albus and James’s sister. “Lucky.”

“Yep.” Albus led Scorpius up the driveway, then unlocked the door. The music instantly got louder. There were already a lot of people inside, lounging on the couches or standing in small groups.

A cheer echoed through the house when Albus’s presence was made known and as Albus led Scorpius to the kitchen, he got countless high-fives and pats on the back. Scorpius got curious looks and some friendly smiles.

“Rum and coke for me, Jamie,” Albus said upon entering the kitchen.

The auburn-haired boy glanced up and grinned at Albus, then at Scorpius. “Got it. What’s your poison, Scor?”

Scorpius’s eyes widened at James’s use of Albus’s nickname. He wondered if Albus had been talking about him. “I’ll have the same, thanks.”

“On it.”

Having James’s grin directed at him made Scorpius fully understand his popularity. James had a way of making you feel at ease and of making you feel like his best friend. Both brothers were charming in their own ways.

A red Solo cup was pushed into Scorpius’s hand. He took a tentative sip and struggled not to wince—James made it _strong_. Albus took a long gulp of his, then wiped his mouth off on the back of his hand.

“Jal!”

The three boys looked toward the entrance to the kitchen. A girl with messy red hair and big hazel eyes walked in. Scorpius realized, with a start, that James looked like a mixture of Albus and this girl. He assumed this was Lily.

“She calls us ‘Jal’ instead of ‘James and Al’ since it’s shorter.” Albus leaned toward Scorpius to explain. Scorpius let out a soft, elongated ‘oh’ of comprehension.

“Oh. Hello. You must be Scor,” she smiled brightly. “I’m Lily.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Lily beamed at him before turning to James and Albus. “Make sure everyone stays out of my room—I’m not having another couple walk in making out.”

“We’ll spread the word, Lil,” James assured her.

“You’d better.” Lily left just as quickly as she’d appeared.

“Is there lots of PDA yet?” James asked Albus.

Albus shook his head. “People aren’t drunk enough. Once there is, we’ll wrap it up.” James nodded in agreement. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”

He turned to Scorpius. “Come on, I’ll show you my room.”

Scorpius stuck close to Albus as they wove their way through the people in the living room and the people sitting on the stairs. It was hectic and overwhelming and Scorpius was glad when they finally got to a door with a huge green ‘A’ on it.

Albus closed and locked the door behind them. “I am _not_ risking some tipsy couple barging in, in search of a place to fuck.”

“Has that happened before?”

“Oh yeah,” Albus said. “Many times.”

Scorpius wrinkled his nose and took a gulp of his drink. He was getting used to the strength and he was becoming pleasantly warm.

Taking a look around the room, he was struck by how _Albus_ it was. The bed sheets were crumpled and there were multiple pillows and blankets on the bed. He had soccer posters covering an entire wall, then pictures of his friends and family scattered around the others. There was a soccer ball at the foot of his bed and multiple shelves of trophies above his desk.

“Wow,” Scorpius said. “I like it.”

“Yeah?” Albus seemed pleased.

“It’s very _you_.”

Albus chuckled. “I’ll pretend I know what that means.”

Albus plugged in his phone and put on some music to drown out the sound of the party downstairs. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he watched Scorpius as he examined the trophies.

“Those are from when I was really young too—it’s not like I’ve collected them all recently,” Albus explained.

Scorpius moved on the pictures and polaroids scattered throughout the room. He grinned as he looked at a picture of Albus as an infant, barely wrapping his chubby arms around a soccer ball.

“You were cute,” Scorpius said.

“ _Were?_ ” Albus feigned hurt.

Scorpius sat down next to Albus on the bed, taking a sip of his drink. “I mean, you still are, but now you’re more…”

“More?” Albus prompted after Scorpius didn’t say anything for a bit.

“More… intimidating.”

“ _Intimidating?_ ” Albus’s expression was somewhere between amusement and disbelief. “Really?”

“It’s just your hair and your eyes and your muscles and your whole ego thing going on,” Scorpius gestured toward Albus. “Just all of it. It’s intimidating.”

“Good intimidating or bad intimidating?”

“Good.” Scorpius blushed as he realized how quickly he’d said that. Albus looked quite pleased with himself.

“I think I can live with being intimidating instead of cute, then,” Albus said. He finished off his drink, then placed the empty cup on his bedside table. Scorpius followed suit, gulping down the rest so he could lie down without worrying about the drink spilling. Albus laughed, but laid down next to him.

“I’m glad I’m up here with you instead of down there with a bunch of people who tend to care more about the goals I score than me,” Albus said, knocking his shoulder against Scorpius’s. It was quiet for a bit.

“Why did you start talking to me after the library thing?” Scorpius asked.

“Oh, uh, I made up the library thing. I just wanted an excuse to talk to you and see what you were like.”

Scorpius turned his head to gape at Albus. “ _What?_ ”

Albus grinned unapologetically. “I saw you with Timothy Nott after practice that one day and knew that I had to talk to you. It was a coincidence that I ran into you in the library, but there was never any crazy ex. At least not in the library that day. I made that up so I could talk to you.”

Scorpius’s jaw threatened to drop. “You do know you could have just walked up to me and introduced yourself like a _normal human being_ , right?”

Albus shrugged. “That’s so boring. Plus, that way you remembered me, didn’t you?”

“I would have remembered you anyway.”

Scorpius blushed as he realized what his loose tongue had let slip. Albus propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Scorpius. He told himself he’d imagined Albus’s eyes flicking down to look at Scorpius’s mouth.

“How many people have you kissed, Scor?” Albus wondered.

Scorpius’s pulse quickened. “Six. Why?”

Albus frowned. “I haven’t even met them and I’m jealous.” He looked puzzled by his own revelation.

Scorpius could feel his face warming and he wondered if Albus was trying to fluster him on purpose. Rationally, he knew it was extremely unlikely.

“How many have you kissed?” Scorpius wondered, glad his voice was even.

Albus smiled ruefully. “I’m not sure—I’ve lost count. I’ve only kissed two people that actually meant something, though.” Albus cleared his throat. “One was my first kiss and the other was my first kiss with a guy.”

“What was it like?” Scorpius asked quietly, his voice barely audible.

“Kissing a guy?”

Scorpius nodded.

“I can show you,” Albus said softly.

Scorpius felt his face heat, but he wet his lips and met Albus’s eyes. His brilliant green eyes. He had never been looked at the way Albus was looking at him. Albus’s gaze was intense and longing and soft all at once and Scorpius didn’t know what to make of it.

“Can I?” Albus didn’t move.

Scorpius nodded and looked at Albus’s pouty lips. Albus let out a small sigh, then brought up one hand to cup Scorpius’s jaw. His fingers delicately stroked Scorpius’s jaw, temple, and behind his ear as Albus leaned down and covered Scorpius’s mouth with his own.

Albus’s lips were warm and fit perfectly against Scorpius’s. Scorpius reached up to tangle his fingers in Albus’s messy hair and when Albus pulled away after a bit, Scorpius arched his back and caught Albus’s mouth once more. Albus responded enthusiastically, tilting the angle of his head so their mouths slotted together more snugly. Albus opened Scorpius’s mouth with his own, then slipped his tongue between Scorpius’s lips.

He tasted like rum and coke and almost coppery and Scorpius really shouldn’t have liked it as much as he did. His tongue actively searched for Albus’s. Whenever they’d part for breath—Scorpius hadn’t quite nailed the whole breathing-through-your-nose thing yet—they’d kiss quickly and sloppily and a bit desperately before melting into longer, more luxurious ones. Scorpius could kiss Albus forever.

When the finally pulled away with swollen lips and heavy breaths, Scorpius was pleased to note that he wasn’t the only one with red cheeks. Albus’s pupils were blown, only a ring of green visible amongst all the black.

“That was infinitely better than my other kisses,” Albus said with certainty, flopping back down on his back. “Christ.”

Scorpius hummed in agreement. He felt his face heat when Albus’s fingers slid between his, gripping his hand between them, though he returned the pressure.

“I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you,” Scorpius admitted.

“So have I.” Albus’s thumb brushed gently against his, rubbing it soothingly. “Just saying, I’m expecting that on a regular basis now. Now that I know what you’re capable of, I expect nothing less.”

Scorpius playfully nudged Albus. “I’ll believe that when you say it sober.”

“Then I will,” Albus promised. “You won’t even need to remind me. I’ll just see you and I’ll want to kiss you and I’ll inform you that I’d like a demonstration of your capabilities.”

“Al, you’re ridiculous.”

“I promise I will.” Albus turned to his side and snuggled into Scorpius. “Just you wait.”

“I’m holding you to that, then,” Scorpius murmured.


End file.
